8 June - 8 July 2016Picasso, Miró and Dalí: Three Spanish MastersPart of ¡VAMOS! Festival

This exhibition brings together a collection of late prints by three of Spain’s most important artists: Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973), Joan Miró (1893 – 1983) and Salvador Dalí (1904 – 1989). While these artists are more often remembered as painters, all three were prolific printmakers.

Always searching for something new, Picasso had an experimental approach to printmaking, often combining the techniques of etching, lithography or woodcut. Later in his career, he refined his approach, but was no less productive. He began working with the renowned art publisher Atelier Mourlot, and between 1945 and 1949 alone, Picasso produced over 200 lithographs with the studio’s head printmaker.

Miró illustrated over 250 books, collaborating with surrealist poets. Using the same pictorial language he had developed in his painting, the format was perfect for Miró’s work. “A form is never something abstract,” he said, “it is always the sign of something. It is always a man, a bird, or something else.” The etchings and lithographs produced in these livres d’artiste use familiar imagery, with rich texture and cool, delicate surfaces to evoke the spirit and rhythm of the poetry.

Dalí also drew on literary works in his prints, producing a suite of etchings based on ‘Alice in Wonderland’, and of lithographs illustrating ‘The Divine Comedy’, among others. His graphic works show a deep appreciation of technical skills and the influence of Spanish masters like Velásquez. An expert in self-promotion, Dalí used printmaking to bring his work to the widest possible audience.

Gallagher & Turner are proud to present this exhibition as part of the 2016 ¡VAMOS! Festival.